Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of medical devices and medical device accessories preventing the transmission of bacteria from one patient to another. The stethoscope is a medical instrument that aids the doctor in listening to a patient""s internal body sounds, such as the heartbeat, by placing the head of the stethoscope onto a patient""s skin. However, the head of the stethoscope may attract harmful bacteria and pathogens when it comes in contact with the skin of a patient, and these harmful agents may subsequently be spread to a second patient when the same stethoscope is applied to the second patient""s skin.
A common problem for many hospitals and health care facilities is the transmission of infections between patients that results from using shared medical devices, and the difficulty that is associated with keeping those medical devices sterile. Traditional measures being employed focus on the use disposable medical supplies or those medical supplies that may be sterilized after they have come in contact with a patient. Furthermore, training is provided on the proper precautions to take when dealing with multiple patients with the intent of eliminating the spread of inter-patient infections.
One medical device that is particularly susceptible of carrying diseases from patient to patient is the stethoscope. This invention relates to a disposable elastic diaphragm to be used in conjunction with or as a replacement to the rigid diaphragm coming standard on stethoscopes and which does not require the use of any adhesives or other dispensing units for application to the stethoscope. Said invention can be further enhanced through the use of a sterile material and impregnating the said material with anti-microbial agents the disposable diaphragm offers increased protection against the transmission of harmful contaminants that may come in contact with the stethoscope when the device is being used. This invention further incorporates a design structure that offers improved acoustic characteristics. Furthermore, the disclosed invention may be used as a stethoscope head cover together in conjunction with the rigid diaphragm that comes standard on the stethoscope head.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art in the field discloses several solutions to controlling the spread of diseases by a stethoscope. However, the prior art have failed to disclose a easy to apply sterile device that achieves minimal sound distortion and remains sterile throughout its use by incorporating anti-microbial agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,187 issued on Feb. 1, 2000 discloses a stethoscope cover that can be used without the supplied diaphragm in the stethoscope. However, this invention discloses a device that is comprised of rigid materials, and is therefore less conducive to carrying or transmitting sound vibrations. Additionally, this invention does not disclose a device impregnated with anti-microbial agents helping eliminate the spread of bacteria and other pathogens to the stethoscope cover as well as to other patients, but only acts as a protective barrier between the stethoscope head and a patient""s skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,032 issued on Sep. 7, 1999 discloses a disposable stethoscope cover used to prevent transferring bacteria from one patient to another patient. This device, however, requires the application of an adhesive for the cover to be supplied to the stethoscope. The application of an adhesive makes this device difficult to use and also has a tendency to diminish the quality of sound reproduction as the adhesives build up between the cover and the stethoscope head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,751 issued on May 5, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,193 issued on Jun. 27, 1995 disclose a flexible disposable cover for a stethoscope head. But this invention fails to neither disclose a device that is manufactured having sterile properties nor have any agents that act to kill harmful bacteria when they come in contact with the cover. Furthermore, this device can only be used in conjunction with the diaphragm that is supplied with the stethoscope and does not itself act as the stethoscope diaphragm itself.
This invention significantly improves on the teachings of the prior art by teaching a device that is elastomeric in design offering ease of use, improved sound conduction and inexpensive. Specifically this disclosed invention teaches a disposable stethoscope diaphragm or stethoscope cover offering anti-microbial properties resulting from the implantation of certain anti-microbial agents when the device is manufactured.
It is an object of this invention to provide a disposable stethoscope diaphragm that is inexpensive and which replaces the rigid diaphragm that is supplied with an original stethoscope.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable stethoscope cover that is comprised of an elastomeric material which offers sufficient flexibility, is nonporous, and is resistant to fluid penetration.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that is sterile when manufactured and is impregnated with anti-microbial agents, such as, but not limited to, silver, which serves to ensure that sterility is maintained and to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria to the disposable diaphragm in addition to protecting the stethoscope head from contamination.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that prevents transmission of harmful bacteria and other pathogens from the skin of the patient to the stethoscope head.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that prevents viruses and other pathogens from being transferred to the patient""s skin from the stethoscope head.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that both improves sound amplification and minimizes distortion when placed over the head of the stethoscope.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm being formed and specifically sized as to have an airtight seal with the stethoscope head when the invention is secured which thereby reduces sound distortion and improves the amplitude of the sound transmission through the disclosed device.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that can be easily placed over the stethoscope head and easily removed to be discarded.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that does not require adhesive to be applied to the stethoscope head.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm cover that does not require a dispensing unit.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm that does not create a vacuum with a patient""s skin after the stethoscope is pressed against the patient""s skin.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm cover that can be used in conjunction with the rigid diaphragm that comes with a stethoscope and act solely as a cover for the stethoscope head with the rigid diaphragm still in place.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm cover that is manufactured with sterile material and is further impregnated with anti-microbial agents.
It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable elastomeric stethoscope diaphragm cover being shaped and specifically sized resulting in improved sound conduction properties such that the device does not diminish sound quality by creating an airtight seal with the stethoscope head which minimizes distortion and maximizes sound amplitude.
It is another object of this invention to provide an elastomeric disposable stethoscope diaphragm cover that is easily secured to the stethoscope head and easily removed in order that the device may be discarded.